Summary
Some Japanese species ofCeratina bees exhibit habits which seem to be precursors to social life, namely: 1) Removal of larval feces by the mother, accompanied by destruction and reconstruction of cell partitions. 2) Transport of immatures within nest. 3) Guarding by the mother at the nest entrance, which is effective in protecting the immatures from parasites. 4) Association of the mother and juvenile adults in autumn, with pollen intake by juveniles from the mother, and 5) Prolonged life span of some females, followed by brood rearing in the second year.
Three nests ofC. japonica and four ofC. iwatai, each containing two or more females in brood rearing condition are recorded. The relations among co-habiting females are variable: semisocial, delayedly eusocial,eosocial (nom. nov.) and quasisocial. The significance of these findings are discussed in connection with social evolution and various social types found or assumed in Hymenoptera.
Zusammenfassung
Einige japanischen Bienarten der GattungCeratina zeigen folgende Lebensgewohnheiten die als evolutionäre Vorstufen zur Staatsbildung aufgefasst werden können. 1) Das Weibchen entfernt den Kot seiner Brut, wobei es die Scheidewände zwischen den Brutzellen durchbricht und wieder aufbaut. 2) Larven werden innerhalb des Nestes transportiert. 3) Das Weibchen bewacht den Nesteingang und schützt dabei die Brut vor Parasiten. 4) Mutter und Jungbienen bewohnen im Herbst gemeinsam das Nest wobei die Jungbienen von ihrer Mutter Pollen übernehmen. 5) Die Lebensdauer einiger Weibchen ist soweit verlängert, dass eine weitere Brutaufzucht im zweiten Jahr möglich ist.
Ueber drei Nester vonC. japonica und vier vonC. iwatai wird berichtet, die während einer Brutperiode je zwei oder mehr Weibchen enthielten. Die Form der Wechselbeziehungen zwischen den zusammenlebenden Weibchen variiert von semisozial, aufgeschoben eusozial, biseosozial (nom. nov.) und quasisozial. Die Bedeutung dieser Befunde in Bezug auf die Evolution der Insektensozietäten wird erörtert unter Bezug auf die verschiedenen aktuellen und hypothetischen Sozialtypen der Hymenopteren.
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Sakagami, S.F., Maeta, Y. Some presumably presocial habits of JapaneseCeratina bees, with notes on various social types in Hymenoptera. Ins. Soc 24, 319–343 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02223784
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02223784